The world of smartphone technology is changing and innovating rapidly every day. Not only is device computing power and memory increasing exponentially, access to the Internet is now, for all practical purposes, omnipresent. If a Wi-Fi hotspot is not within range, a cell tower usually is. Recent developments with the “cloud” technology have made smartphones an infinite resource for both personalized storage and computing power.
Automobiles have devices that are personalized for the comfort, convenience, and safety of the vehicle occupant. Examples of vehicle devices that can be personalized include a seat having an adjustable seat position, a mirror having an adjustable position, and a climate control system having various preferred settings such as a preferred temperature; however these features are stored in the vehicle and not truly personalized to a specific user.
Modern vehicles are also equipped with remote keyless entry (RKE) systems and have been available for many years. A key fob is equipped with pushbuttons that, when depressed, cause a RKE transmitter in the key fob to transmit a short range signal to the RKE system in the vehicle which validates the signal and decodes the particular vehicle function to be executed while sending a signal to the particular vehicle system to effect the desired function control.
Generally, a key fob allows the user to lock and unlock the vehicle doors, open the vehicle trunk, and sound a vehicle alarm or horn in an emergency. Recent trends in remote vehicle access and control continue to expand beyond the basic short-range, unidirectional remote keyless entry systems toward longer range, bidirectional communication systems or smart fobs, which have many features, including vehicle access, keyless engine start and communication with a smartphone.
It would be desirable to provide an enhanced vehicle control system which provides an interface to a user's portable devices, such as cellular phones, smartphones, and tablet computers, etc. that is authenticated with a vehicles specific key fob.